Botuo of Mount Ji, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Printed猼訑 caption identifies sheep comparison, nine tails, four ears and eyes on back,基山. Artist outlines overlap; caption supplies counts rather than treating it as a fox. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; anonymous plate illustrator, GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor; later image witness, not ancient composition date.
Overview
Botuo appears at Mount Ji in the first southern itinerary of the Shanhaijing. The creature resembles a sheep, but has nine tails and four ears, with its eyes located on its back. The entry associates wearing it with freedom from fear. The many tails do not make it a fox: the base comparison in this passage is explicitly to a sheep.
Mount Ji is described as having jade on one side and strange trees on the other. Botuo is presented with another extraordinary creature, a chicken-shaped bird possessing multiplied heads, eyes, feet, and wings. These neighbouring accounts show the passage’s interest in unusual bodies and their effects on people. No encounter plot explains how Botuo behaves toward travellers, and the claimed protection should be retained as a textual assertion rather than an experimentally established property.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing, Southern Mountains
Records & interpretation
Directly read Chinese primary-text transcription; exact section and geographical passage retained. No matched scan or illustration verified.
Additional images
View larger botuo, named historical Shan hai jing woodcut
Exact named figure in the Southern Mountains section of a seventeenth-century illustrated Shan hai jing edition. Historical interpretation, not a biological photograph. Source file cites the Library of Congress digitized edition.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing: Southern Mountains
First southern sequence; Mount Ji 基山; hosted text displays commentary separately in brackets.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Shanhaijing, Southern Mountains
南山經. First southern sequence; Mount Ji 基山
Directly read transcription, not a collated historical scan. Identifying passage: 其狀如羊，九尾四耳，其目在背，其名曰猼訑。 Base text and bracketed commentary distinguished; no exact plate assigned.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Southern Mountains: First southern sequence; Mount Ji 基山Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationBotuo of Mount Ji, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Printed猼訑 caption identifies sheep comparison, nine tails, four ears and eyes on back,基山. Artist outlines overlap; caption supplies counts rather than treating it as a fox. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; anonymous plate illustrator, GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor; later image witness, not ancient composition date.
Further credits appear with each additional image.
